How we work

Standard courses.

We have standard and Spanish for the Professions courses. Our courses have a minimum duration of 1 month; otherwise we do not believe that the immersion is really useful. We would only make exceptions in those cases where there is a minimum level of a B2 / C1 and for very specific, specialized courses on health issues or business and subject to availability and never less than 2 weeks.

A 1-month program means about 200 hours of immersion

A 2-month program means about 400 hours of immersion

During the 3 weekends of the program month, there will be no classes or activities. It will be free time to use as you like. We strongly urge that it be time alone or time used establishing informal relationships with natives so as not to lose the immersion effect. Some students may take advantage of this time to go on their own on excursions to Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Paris, Venice, Rome, …

Our camps (groups) are made up of between 4 and 7 people so that there is enough time and space for everyone to learn and for conversations to take place among all. In addition, the afternoon activities are more fun and enriching in small groups. 

Regardless of the level of Spanish communicated by the student, we will always carry out a level test upon the student’s arrival, never virtually, as we understand that it can lead to level classification errors. That is why we strongly request that the student communicate with absolute sincerity and transparency the level he/she is or tell us how many years he/she has been studying Spanish and which books he/she has used. The reason is that the groups are established well in advance and we want the whole group to have a similar level so as not to create distortions in the levels of others in the group. We know that you are eager to learn and get the most out of your investment of time and money. Because we are aware of this, we will place you in the right group and with a level of demand that will make you progress from a solid base. Communicating an inadequate level not only breaks our group forecasts but by trying to be in a superior group, which does not correspond to your level, most of the time will only hinder the rest of the students and will not give you a solid foundation for your own learning. Let us all be respectful of our own learning and that of the rest of our classmates.

As we have told you we have both Standard and Spanish for the Professions courses. Here they are the different standard courses stages

  • Camp 1 (= A2) You come with an A1 and go to an A2. You acquire the level with 1 month of immersion.
  • Camp 2 (= B1) You come with an A2 and go to a B1.
    Option A: One month of immersion and another 160 hours of study, daily in your home for the next year.
    Option B: Two months of immersion.
    B1 is the minimum level that is required to request access to university studies in Spanish. Sometimes a B2 is required.
  • Camp 3: (= B2) You come with a B1 and go to a B2
    Option A: One month of immersion and another 160 hours of study, daily in your home for the next year.
    Option B: Two months of immersion.
    B2 is the minimum level that is usually required to apply for a job in another language.
  • Camp 4: (= C1) You come with a B2 and go to a C1
    Option A: One month of immersion and another 300 hours of study, daily in your home for the next year.
    Option B: Two months of immersion and another 160 hours of study, daily in your home for the next year. Ideally, you would also work temporarily for a couple of months in a Spanish company to solidify the level. We can help find this type of immersion for you. This is the most common level that is required to apply for the workplace (focusing on Spanish for the Professions) or for the completion of a Master or Doctorate.
  • Camp 5. (= C2) You come with a C1 and want to go to C2. We recommend spending 1 year in Spain, either studying or working. We can accommodate this last option with enough time to organize it. One year of stay is about 2,200 hours.

Please, don´t hesitate to ask anything about our Standard and Spanish for Professions courses

Spanish for the Professions courses

Spanish for the Professions is the consequence of the major changing conditions in which professions perform nowdays (within a clear globalization) which has led institutions and universities to review their strategies in terms of language teaching and instruction of Spanish over the last decades. It is also the result of the ever-growing regional integration of the United States and Latin America (with Mexico in particular), and the considerable increase in the number of the Spanish-speaking population in the United States, as well as the increase in the weight of the Spanish economic areas (10% PPP of world GDP)

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As a result of that, it seems to be key to offer Spanish for the Professions courses.

Learn here which is our approach to our Spanish for the Professions courses

https://celticspainschool.com/spanish-for-the-professions/

A) Business Spanish

Business Spanish courses are the most demanded of our Standard and Spanish for the Professions courses. Those are courses that are designed to develop, above all, communication skills and to acquire vocabulary specific to the business world (mainly commercial, marketing and financial). The Value of Spanish in the Workplace | Monster.com, Why International Students are choosing to study in Spain | Top Universities. The Importance of Learning Spanish for Business | USF Corporate Training and Professional Education Why Spanish Skills Are Important When Doing Business Today? – Word Magic English Spanish Translation Software (wordmagicsoft.com)

As this vocabulary is acquired, various situations or development themes are worked on:

1. Case method –At the same time as solving real-life situations in companies, you are working on reading and cognitive skills. You work especially on communication skills once several people have solved the case:

  • presentation of ideas
  • argumentation and disagreement
  • clarification and confirmation
  • summary and conclusions
  • capacity of persuasion using the language

It is discussed in small groups of two and later in class. Recommended for level C1.

2. Presentations – A presentation of a topic or results is shown on a screen in front of classmates and they ask questions. A debate ensues. It is a normal work meeting. The same skills are worked as before, adding the opening and closing of presentations

3. Negotiations – A specific product or service sale is practiced. The cultural peculiarities of the same in the Hispanic world are explained. Communication skills are worked on.

4. Simulated phone calls.

5. Correspondence. Written skills are worked on for sending a letter to a client, a CV or a cover letter, or for legal issues.

Optional and subject to availability: professional placement in companies for internships if you have a B2/C1 level during the two months of immersion or for the whole year.

B) Legal Spanish

We understand that the specific communication skills here are not as essential since you need a national and professional qualification to be able to practice before the courts of any country. Yes, we will work on the ability to give legal advice to Spanish-speaking clients with a vocabulary as close to your native language as possible. 

It is mainly focused on the acquisition of vocabulary that is consistent with the field of specialization. There is special focus on the ability to read and translate legal texts in Spanish and give legal advice in Spanish. And very localized in the ability to read commercial or property contracts.

Some of the business activities will be covered here as well. 

Optional and subject to availability: professional insertion in law firms to do internships if you have a b2 / C1 level both during the immersion months and throughout the year.

C) Spanish for Health

We mainly work on medical terminology in Spanish to improve communicative skills in clinics or hospitals. We develop the use of Spanish in different clinical cases, treatment simulations with patients for diagnosis. Medical professionals will occasionally collaborate in our classes. We are open to seeking exchange of medical experiences with health professionals who work in the same specialty (on request).